Scathing VA report stirs outcry for accountability

A new report released by the Office of Inspector General details delays in care for Phoenix veterans.

Phoenix Veternas Admimistration Health Care System Interim Director Glenn Costie speaks during a news conference at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014. Government investigators found no proof that delays in care caused veterans to die at a Phoenix VA hospital, but they found plenty of problems that the Veterans Affairs Department is promising to fix. Investigators uncovered large-scale improprieties in the way VA hospitals and clinics across the nation have been scheduling veterans for appointments, according to a report released Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014, by the VA's Office of Inspector General.(Photo: David Wallace/The Republic)

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Elected officials say those responsible for Phoenix problems must be held accountable.

Congressional leaders, whistle-blowers and critics of the Department of Veterans Affairs called for the agency's leaders to be held accountable now that the Office of Inspector General has released a final investigative report on the Phoenix system's problems, calling its findings of delayed care and wait-time manipulation troubling.

The report was scathing in its evaluation of VA practices and leadership. Though whistle-blowers alleged veterans died while awaiting care in Phoenix, acting Inspector General Richard Griffin did not draw any conclusions about criminal culpability and declared that he was "unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the deaths of these veterans."

Phoenix whistle-blowers Drs. Sam Foote and Katherine Mitchell, both physicians, said the OIG standard made no sense because patients die of disease or injury, not of delays in care.

In fact, they said, 45 examples described in the OIG report show that delayed care likely resulted in premature deaths or harm to patients' quality of life.

"Are you telling me all 45 people — none of them could have benefited, nobody's life could have been saved?" asked Foote, a retired VA primary-care doctor.

"They're trying to get out of legal liability with that statement. And they don't want criminal charges of negligent homicide or reckless endangerment. ... The question is: How many months was each person robbed of his life?"

Foote called for a review of the medical information by independent experts.

Mitchell, a former emergency-room doctor who now is medical director of a VA transition program for Gulf War veterans, said the majority of the OIG report seemed accurate, but she described findings on the impact of delayed care "disturbing."

Mitchell said investigators should have zeroed in on whether prompt medical attention could have improved or prolonged lives. "I'm just concerned that the VA is not taking responsibility for the fact that delays in care significantly hurt quality of life for many veterans," she said.

The report nonetheless indicated veterans suffered because they could not receive timely care at the Phoenix facility.

"The fact of the matter is, 20 veterans died while on these wait lists — and that is indisputable. They, at the very least, suffered immensely as a result," said Dan Caldwell, issue and legislative campaign manager for Concerned Veterans for America.

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Victoria Yett discusses the details of the suicide of her husband, Robert Yett, of the U.S. Navy, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as he waited for his appointment for PTSD with the Phoenix VA.
David Wallace/The Republic

Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he was relieved the inspector general could not conclusively assert patients died because of long wait times.

But Sanders joined Arizona Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., in calling for the firing of those responsible for allowing the Phoenix failures.

"It is unbelievable to us that, months after the scandal broke, Phoenix VA officials responsible for it remain on the federal payroll," McCain and Flake said in a joint statement.

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Victoria Yett, 39, is seen with her four sons (from left) Zach, 19; K.J., 10; Kyal, 17; and Zane, 14; all holding a photograph of their father, Robert Yett, and other military items associated with him at their home in Cottonwood on Aug. 12, 2014. After serving with the U.S. Navy during several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Robert Yett committed suicide in November 2010. He was trying to seek treatment for his post traumatic stress disorder from the VA.
David Wallace/The Republic

And though the inspector general could not link deaths to delays, she said, "we must continue this line of inquiry."

Sharon Helman, the embattled Phoenix VA director who was in charge when many abuses occurred, has been on paid administrative leave since May 1. Aides Lance Robinson and Brad Curry also remain on paid leave.

Critics have urged new VA Secretary Robert McDonald to exercise his authority, recently approved by Congress and President Barack Obama through the VA reform bill, to fire poorly performing VA administrators.

The inspector general report showed that Helman, Robinson, chief of staff Darren Deering and other senior executives were aware of delays in care and unofficial wait lists.

"We have seen no evidence that the corrupt bureaucrats who created the VA scandal will be purged from the department's payroll anytime soon. Until that happens, VA will never be fixed," said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., House Veterans' Affairs Committee chairman.

Phoenix VA interim Director Glenn Costie on Tuesday would not specify the status of Helman's administrative leave or describe what actions are anticipated in the coming weeks or months, saying personnel decisions lie with the VA's executive staff.

Despite all the problems identified by the inspector general, conditions at the Phoenix VA have improved significantly since the spring when the scandal erupted, said Andres "Andy" Jaime, commander of the American Legion's Arizona chapter.